


Disclosure

by my_blue_wheelbarrow



Category: Tenet (2020)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:20:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27280351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_blue_wheelbarrow/pseuds/my_blue_wheelbarrow
Summary: Five times a Tenet agent thought that the boss was annoyed by Neil and one time he realized the truth.
Relationships: Neil/The Protagonist (Tenet)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 133





	1. Talking Too Much

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> So, I threw up last night and somehow that sparked the urgent need to write fluffy Protagoneil... I did this for myself and I like it, I hope you'll like it, too!  
> I didn't understand the movie completely so I decided to literally just circumvent that whole inverting thing. I just wanted fluff.
> 
> Enjoy! ❁

_1._

One would think that Neil, a really outgoing and charming person, would have many people to talk to. And he did.   
  
But somehow, Jonah only ever saw him talking to their boss. Well, maybe less talking and more chewing his ear off. 

Jonah has been at Tenet for a few months now and sure, he probably would never figure out the whole organization and the role of everyone there but Jonah didn't mind. He'd made a few friends and generally got along with most of his colleagues. He'd even once had a nice conversation about football with Ives who he had first been a bit afraid of. (And still was, to be honest.)  
He also thought their boss was really genuine and pleasant to be around. Yes, he was diligent and always seemed to be focused on work but maybe that was just because he was, well, the boss, and it didn't make him any less likable.   
  
And then there was Neil.   
  
He was young and always had a grin on his face and his hair seemed really fluffy. Jonah had heard many funny stories about him, not mean things, just things the other agents had heard him tell about himself. Jonah had never personally talked to Neil and didn't feel the urgent need to. Sure, he appeared to be funny and nice but Jonah had the feeling that it would be hard to talk to him nonetheless.   
  
And that was because he was always at the boss' side, talking vividly while waving about with his hands. 

Jonah and some other guys were checking the new plans and who they were assigned to on one of the bulletin boards in the hallway when two pairs of feet could be heard walking rapidly towards them. They all turned to see their boss and Neil striding through the hallway.  
  
The boss was looking straight forward, his eyes sliding to the group and nodding in greeting while Neil's eyes kept focused on one subject and one subject only; the boss.   
  
"But don't you think it'd be safer to just threaten them instead of trying to talk first?" the blond man asked, completely ignoring, or maybe just overlooking, Jonah and the others.   
Jonah looked at the boss again who seemed to sigh out of resignation.   
  
"Neil." He said in a definite tone and the addressed raised his hands in apology.   
  
"Okay, no work-talk, right. But do you only ever read or do you sometimes watch films, too?"  
  
Some of his colleagues turned back to the bulletin board and one even left the hallway but Jonah couldn't turn away after Neil had changed the subject of his conversation with the boss so dramatically.   
  
"Neil."  
The same tone.   
  
"Because I could definitely recommend some films and maybe even a good filmization to a book you've read," the blond went on and, Jonah could barely believe it, turned his body even more in the direction of his superior, now basically walking parallel to him.   
  
They had finally come to the end of the hallway and turned into another one but they were still in earshot and Jonah was still listening.   
  
"Neil!"   
  
It wasn't really a yell but it got the other man's attention and their footsteps stopped. Jonah could imagine them standing vis-à-vis, the boss looking up to Neil with an irritated look on his face and Neil? He was probably looking like a puppy who didn't know that it was bad to pee onto the couch.   
  
"Hm? What's up?"   
  
"Stop talking." And Jonah turned back to the plan and stopped listening. Maybe he would try to speak to Neil eventually so his boss could have a break... 


	2. Falling Asleep

_2._

One would think Neil slept enough or didn't need a lot of sleep for being so happy and energetic all the time.   
  
But somehow he still ended up dozing off in the middle of a meeting. And _on_ the boss, of all things. 

Not all teammates always had to go to meetings and oftentimes the participants changed, maybe so that the boss could have a lot of different opinions on tactics. There were certain people who always attended the meetings; the boss, of course, but also Ives, Wheeler, Neil, and some others.   
  
It wasn't Jonah's first time at a meeting but it was surely the most interesting one.   
  
At first, the boss delivered a little speech, and Ives then briefly explained their next mission.   
  
It was when a scientist on a screen explained some new gadgets they were going to use, that Jonah started to tune out and look around the room.   
Almost every second person sitting around the big table seemed tired but Neil stuck out.   
  
Many of his colleagues were stifling yawns or just blinking slowly but Neil wasn't even trying to cover up his fatigue. He supported his head with his hands, switching them at some point and when Jonah looked at him again after a few minutes, the blond man had actually put his head on the table and wasn't even looking at the screen with the scientist.   
  
Jonah looked to his boss, who was sitting next to Neil, and... was he really taking notes? Jonah had to smile, but then the dark-haired man looked up to him and he immediately turned to the screen. God, he probably thought Jonah was laughing at him! 

"Neil! Neil!"   
  
The scientist's explanation was really dragging on, and meanwhile, the man wasn't even explaining the gadgets but talking about the composition and the general wonders of science. No one seemed to have the heart to tell him to finish, though.   
  
However, Jonah's attention was caught when he heard someone whisper-yelling Neil's name. He turned to the source of the noise and of course it was the boss. But the scene Jonah saw was still surprising.   
  
Neil's head was resting on the boss' shoulder, his mouth lightly agape and eyes shut tight.   
  
While the blond was far away and apparently fast asleep, his makeshift-pillow was trying to wake him up, if you could call it 'trying'. The boss was only saying his name, not even moving. He could just shove off the head on his shoulder or move until Neil would wake up but he didn't.   
Jonah thought that maybe this showed how much their boss cared about his teammates; he would even be happy to be their pillow if it meant that they got their rest.   
  
And for once, he didn't even seem too annoyed by the blond who may or may not be beginning to drool. 

It was another twenty minutes until the video conference was (finally) over and they ended the meeting. Everybody got up from their seats, stretched, and started leaving the room.   
Jonah couldn't help himself watching the boss and Neil.   
  
The blond had woken up because of the rustling of everything and was looking around drowsily. Probably after realizing that he was still in the meeting room and not in his bed, he let his head sink to the table again, this time on his forehead and not the cheek. Jonah wondered why the man was so tired and had to yawn himself.   
  
The boss let most of his colleagues leave the room before him but Jonah still caught him patting Neil's back before exiting. 


	3. Eating His Food

_3._

One would think that every agent would be exhausted after a mission, especially a dedicated agent like Neil.   
  
But instead, the man seemed as if he had taken a power-nap and was full of energy now. 

Jonah dropped the bag with his tactical gear carelessly to the ground and slumped into a chair in the cafeteria.   
  
"You alright, Gooden?" a deep voice asked from beside him and Jonah turned.   
  
Great, he chose a seat right beside Ives, and now he had to sit up straight and act as if he wasn't going to fall asleep or right into a coma every second.   
  
"Yes, just tired from the mission," he answered, trying not to mumble too much. Ives only nodded and gave him half a smile before he returned to his conversation with agent Wheeler and Jonah exhaled. At least no conversation to hold now. 

His friend Monica had brought him a tray with the food the cafeteria was offering today and then sat across from him. Thankfully, she noticed his mood and didn't talk to him but to the other agents at the table.   
  
Jonah only poked around in his food, occasionally eating a bite or two. 

"God, I hate them."   
  
Jonah looked up because the voice sounded so close and he was internally panicking, thinking that somebody on the team hated him.   
  
Turns out it was only Ives and he was neither talking to Jonah nor looking at him and thus not meaning him.   
He was looking at another table and Jonah followed his look. He was looking at Neil and the boss.   
  
"Aw, don't be like that Ives, I think they're cute!" Wheeler exclaimed albeit in an exaggerated voice.   
  
Ives huffed, "Why can Neil not eat like a normal adult?"   
  
Jonah frowned and observed the blond. Why was he not eating normally? 

No less than two minutes later it was clear.   
The agent was constantly eating food off of the boss' plate, grinning when the man glared at him, and then Neil put down his fork to wield his hands around for a minute before he ate another thing from the plate that wasn't his own.   
  
"Neil, can you please eat your own food? We have the exact same," the boss scolded the other man, obviously to no avail because in the same moment Neil was impaling the boss' potatoes on his fork.   
  
"I already ate all my potatoes. And you said earlier that you weren't really hungry," Neil argued, pouting for a second before his face broke out in his trademark grin.   
  
The boss rolled his eyes. "Can you at least ask nicely?"   
  
Jonah heard Wheeler chuckle. Yeah, it sounded like the boss was talking to a toddler. A very tall toddler, but still.   
  
"May I please eat some of your food?" Neil asked in his British accent which sounded really nice if it wasn't for the accompanying puppy eyes which were more ridiculous than cute.   
  
The boss seemed to think the same because he replied coldly.   
  
"No."   
  
Being a word that didn't appear in Neil's vocabulary, the blond just laughed and kept poking in the boss' food.   
  
"Come on, you don't even like sauerkraut. I'll just eat that and then you can eat the rest, I promise."  
  
"What rest?" The boss said exasperated but was only met with a grinning face. 

"Why do they always do this?" Ives asked with clear irritation in his voice while eating his own potatoes.   
  
Agent Wheeler laughed, patting her colleague on the back.   
  
"You're just jealous because no one will eat your sauerkraut."  
  
Jonah couldn't see it but he was sure that Ives glared at Wheeler.   
  
"Watch me. Hey, Neil! Want my sauerkraut, too?" he yelled across the room, catching everybody's attention.   
  
Neil smiled but shook his head.   
  
"No, thank you," he turned to the boss and actually _pinched_ his cheek. "See, Ives is so much nicer!"   
  
Jonah was sure that he was now on the death list of at least two men. 


	4. Wearing His Clothes

_4._

One would think that Neil had some kind of boundaries that he wouldn't cross in his mission to annoy his boss.   
  
But he was also a surprising person. 

"What the hell is Neil wearing?"   
  
Jonah looked to Chris who looked out of the window so Jonah looked there next.   
  
Outside, on the big courtyard of the Tenet building, the boss, Ives, Wheeler, and Neil were standing. Jonah looked over the blond man. He wore his grey-green scarf and then... Well, then his outfit became indeed weird.   
  
He wore his usual _own_ coat but on top of that, he wore another jacket. And the sleeves of that jacket didn't reach his wrists and it seemed to be a little tight over the coat and it obviously wasn't his jacket.   
  
"It must be the boss' jacket," Monica declared, and seeing the boss shake his head when he saw his colleague and additionally Wheeler's snicker and Ives' eye roll, it was very clear.   
  
"How did he even get it?" some other agent asked, incredulous.   
  
Outside nothing special was happening, the agents had gotten over the shock of Neil's unconventional outfit and were now just talking, so Jonah focused on his phone, too. 

"Oh my god, now he's hugging him!" Monica called and everyone's heads flipped to the windows again.   
  
Ives and Wheeler were gone but as a matter of fact, Neil's arms were wrapped tightly around the other man and he swayed them around as if he meant to dance but was drunk or otherwise inebriated.   
The boss made no move to reciprocate the hug and all in all, it was very awkward.   
  
"But why the hell is he hugging him?" Chris wanted to know, more or less like all of them.   
  
"Well, it is pretty cold outside," a soft voice said out of nowhere, and again, all the heads whipped around.   
  
Agent Wheeler had come in, her nose red from the aforementioned cold and a smile on her lips. All the other teammates looked around sheepishly but Wheeler only snorted and waved a hand dismissively.   
  
"Just don't let Ives catch you guys gossiping," she advised before leaving the room and going her own way. The whole room let out a relieved sigh and they were observing the men outside who were now just talking, Neil even looking serious.   
  
Jonah bit his lip. Were they really gossiping? Well, he hadn't even said anything but he knew that he found himself observing the two men whenever possible. At least he wasn't alone. 

"I think he likes it," an agent said into the quiet room. It was Logan Bass.   
They hadn't talked in a while but they all knew what he was talking about.   
  
"Obviously he likes it. I'm just surprised that he dares to do all that stuff. Giving him a playful punch to the shoulder is one thing, but stealing his food _and_ clothes?" Monica reckoned but Logan shook his head.   
  
"No. I mean the boss. I think the boss likes it," the agent clarified.   
  
"Huh?" Monica said, looking at him quizzically.   
  
"I think he likes the attention."   
  
"But he gets enough attention from all of us. He's the damn boss," Chris chimed in, and Jonah was getting annoyed by the swearwords.   
  
"Yeah, but I mean the attention of Neil. That's what he likes." 

Somebody cleared their throat and everyone was still.   
  
"I don't think it's any of your business whose attention your boss likes or not," Ives stated, arms crossed in front of his chest, a scowl on his face.   
  
They all shuffled out of the room, heads low, and faces flush.   
But Jonah couldn't stop thinking about Logan's theory... 


	5. Crying and Complaining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'My Girl' is a super amazing and super sad movie, I love it so much and I cried so much, you should all go watch it.

_5._

One would think that Neil was always happy, sometimes tired and exhausted but always optimistic.   
  
But well, some things just made him cry. 

It was a heart-crushing sight.   
  
The young, blond agent was sitting all alone at a table in the cafeteria, red-rimmed eyes focused on the grey table while sipping on a milkshake. He got that milkshake only because he was so cute and pitiable, Jonah was sure of it.  
But the man did look very pitiable. He looked like he had cried for a whole hour and he was still sniffling every once in a while. Jonah wanted to hug him. No, Jonah wanted the boss to hug him but he had a bad feeling about it. 

"What do you think happened? Did we lose someone on a mission?" Monica asked. They were sitting a few tables farther in the cafeteria, everybody casting glances to Neil occasionally.   
  
"The last mission was four days ago," Logan said and Monica shrugged.   
  
Jonah had had a lot to think about in these last four days. Firstly, he thought about what Logan had said about the boss. He had always thought that Neil was just annoying him for the hell of it because maybe that was the kind of stuff he found funny. Could have been that he realized that the boss isn't as tough as he seems to be so the blond decided to test out how far he could go.   
But then Logan had said what he said and Jonah had thought about it.   
  
Jonah had come to the conclusion that Neil was attracted to their boss. He had a crush, or maybe he was even in love, however, he wasn't shy about it. He wasn't directly telling the man but he sure let his actions speak.   
When you looked at it like that, it really was cute, like agent Wheeler always said.   
  
But now this.   
  
Jonah was sure what had happened and he wanted to let his friends know.  
  
"Okay, guys, here's my theory. I think that Neil has a huge crush on the boss, I think he likes him very very much. And he's always done these stupid things to get his attention, like the food and the clothes and all. And maybe he now wanted to confess his love to the boss. So, he probably told him and got rejected. The boss always seems so annoyed and irritated when Neil just talks to him or does anything else addressed to him. So, yeah, I think it's a big case of rejection."   
  
Jonah explained this in a hushed voice, of course, and this time there was no Wheeler or Ives walking in on their little gossiping session.   
  
But nobody commented Jonah's theory because Logan whispered, "Look, there he is! The boss!"  
  
They all stared towards the glass door of the cafeteria where the boss could be seen approaching.   
It ended horribly.   
  
The boss saw Neil moping at the table and he just turned around! The whole table of agents gasped when the man just walked away, like a cold cold man.   
  
"That was terrible!" Monica exclaimed and the others could only nod in agreement.   
  
"We should do something about it. Or at least keep him company. I really feel sorry," Logan suggested.  
  
"No!" Jonah called, a little louder than anticipated and some agents turned around but he kept speaking in a lower voice. "We really can't. I know I sound like a pussy but I really don't wanna be on Ives' bad side. At least, we shouldn't do it here where everybody would notice how we're trying to cheer him up."  
  
Logan sighed but nodded. "Fine. But we'll think of something."

They didn't need to think of anything though. They just needed to be in the same meeting room as the boss and Neil a few hours after the cafeteria.   
  
"Neil, would you please sit on your usual seat?" The boss said, tone irritated as Neil sat down not next to him but three seats away.   
  
"Nope, sir. I will not sit next to a traitor."   
  
Everyone gasped except for Ives, who gave a resigned sigh.   
  
"Neil," the boss said, dragging the name out, making it almost sounds as if the boss was whining. Which would be understandable.  
  
The blond agent glared at his boss for ten more, tense seconds before he burst out laughing.   
  
"Fine," he said, getting up and sitting on his usual seat, immediately throwing his arm around the boss and pulling him into his side, "But if you ever let me watch another film like My Girl alone, I will make sure that we don't ever attend the same meeting again."   
  
The boss wriggled out of Neil's embrace and dragged a hand over his face.   
  
"I'm your _boss_ ," he emphasized which only made Neil laugh again.   
  
"Yeah, and all your agents are interested in _my_ life," the blond man said, looking over the room and then winking. Jonah had the feeling that it was especially directed at him and his gossip crew. 


	6. Disclosure

_6._

One would think the boss of all these agents and of Neil would be extremely annoyed by the blond man.   
  
But instead, he was head over heels in love with him. 

Jonah felt incredibly bad after the last Tenet meeting, where Neil had indirectly called them out on their gossiping and also defied his Rejection Theory. Therefore, he had stopped all possible gossiping by only concentrating on himself and also warning his friends that they should do the same.   
They had all laughed at him but they were also assholes, so whatever.   
  
Jonah was a responsible and moreover a good agent and he didn't need to meddle in the personal lives of his co-workers just to have fun.   
  
But then he heard the boss and Neil just as he was in the bathroom and the two men were talking outside of it. He felt paralyzed and _had_ to listen to their quiet conversation. 

"You're such an idiot, Neil," the boss said but it didn't sound mean. It sounded rather soft and fond. Jonah could hear Neil chuckle.   
  
"No wonder the other agents thought you rejected me when you're being so mean," Neil commented, making Jonah's heart stop beating for a second.   
  
"Do you sometimes wonder why they only talk about us?" The boss asked and Jonah could imagine the arched eyebrow.   
  
"Because you're the boss?" Neil said innocently, probably batting his eyelashes, too.   
  
"Everyone thinks you're a child, love."   
  
The nickname made Jonah's heartbeat stop _again_.   
  
"Hmm, as long as you don't think I'm a child."   
  
"I do think you're a child," the boss said in a matter-of-fact way. Neil snorted.  
  
"As long as you don't treat me like a child," he corrected himself.   
  
"Oh, so you don't like a little spanking?" the boss asked, in a seductive voice and Jonah's heart was really put to the test here. At least the puzzle pieces seemed to fall into place.   
  
"God, that was terrible. No child likes spankings. But for real, I think we can come out. You know, as a couple."   
  
There it was.   
  
"Yeah? Do you think they'd all be okay with it?" The boss sounded insecure and Jonah almost barged out there to tell him that yes, everyone would be totally okay with it.   
  
"You're the boss. I'm certain the only one with a problem would be Ives. No, actually, he would support it, I think. Cause then you could stop pretending you're annoyed by me."   
  
The boss chuckled.   
  
"Honey, but I don't pretend. I am annoyed by you."   
  
"You suck," Neil said, before quickly adding, "No, wait, I take that back. Please ignore it and don't attempt to dirty talk or be funny or literally whatever. Just gimme a kiss and go do you work."   
  
For a few moments, nobody said anything.   
  
"I love you," the boss' soft voice could be heard then.   
  
"I love you, too." Neil.   
  
Jonah could only fainlty hear the smooching noises and he was glad for that. Honestly, he was glad for all of it. He was glad that he had been wrong about Neil and their boss. He was incredibly glad to have been wrong.   
Thinking about it, the both of them seemed to be a great pair and they seemed and sounded really happy despite Neil's teasing and the boss', well, being the boss.   
  
Speaking of, the door to the bathroom opened and the boss entered, catching Jonah just standing there like an absolute moron.   
  
"Agent Gooden," the man said dryly with a nod.   
  
"B-Boss," Jonah stuttered, not daring to look the man into the eyes after having eavesdropped on him and his lover for such a long time.   
  
"How long have you been standing here?"   
  
"Um, I- Er, well..."   
  
The boss held out a hand to stop the agent.   
  
"You know what? I don't care. Go get out of this bathroom." Relief washed over Jonah as he saw the smiling face of his boss and the soft look in his eyes. And he got out of that damn bathroom. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
